Superior Community Center loses cafe
Jan. 19—After serving residents since the opening of the Superior Community Center in 2020, Serendipity Tap and Cafe served its last coffee on Friday.
Serendipity started operations at the community center, 1500 Coalton Road, around the same time the center opened in 2020. When the space was renovated to become the Superior Community Center, the vision for it to be a place for residents to gather and commune, and having a food and beverage vendor was vital to hosting people in the space, said Leslie Clark, Superior's parks, recreation and open space director.
On Jan. 12, Superior announced that Serendipity would stop cafe operations at the center effective Friday.
"(Serendipity) filled a critical need. They had the cafe open, pretty much when the building was open," Clark said.
Serendipity, based in Lakewood, also provides food and drinks for town events, like the pancake breakfast on the Fourth of July and the Chili and Beer Fest.
Along with serving typical breakfast and lunch items, such as coffees, breakfast burritos, salads, sandwiches and charcuterie boxes, Serendipity also served local beers, ciders and wines after 2 p.m.
While the company is stopping operations at the Superior Community Center, Serendipity Catering is "still going strong," said Laura Zaspel, the company co-founder and chief executive officer. Serendipity has been a full-service caterer for 22 years in the Denver area, usually focusing on large-scale events. Zaspel said that Serendipity does full-service catering, which includes food, drinks, decorations and venue partnerships.
"We've been there for three years. It was a great experience. We helped (the community center) get off the ground and helped them through the pandemic and have a great relationship," Zaspel said, "But Serendipity does full-service, big events and now it's time to turn over the cafe to an operator that can focus on a retail location. "
While Serendipity has had a great three-year run at the community center, Zaspel said Serendipity will focus on catering for larger events. She explained that Serendipity often hosts events with hundreds of attendees.
"Our model is very large, very upscale events with all the components: decor, entertainment, food and all that," Zaspel said.
The Superior Community Center has used Serendipity to cater events at the center, albeit not to the large scale of other events Serendipity caters for.
"The town's committed to getting a qualified vendor in there to offer food and beverage service, and residents should look forward to that in the future," Clark said.
Clark said she anticipates a drop in use of the community center with Serendipity's departure, but the town is working to find another vendor to fill the space. Superior is taking applications from potential new vendors. Applications are due by 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29. To submit an application, go to: tinyurl.com/SCCRequestforQualification.
